1 in 68 U.S. children has autism, CDC estimates; Colorado reports increase of 32 percent in 2 years

One in every 68 kids has an autism spectrum disorder, according to a new report from the CDC.

KMGH

WASHINGTON & DENVER - The government increased its autism estimate on Thursday to 1 in 68 U.S children. The estimate is based on data from 11 states, including Colorado.

That's a 30 percent jump from the last federal estimate of 1 in 88 children with autism or a related disorder. The latest calculation means autism is more than twice as common as officials said it was just seven years ago.

But health officials say the new number may not mean autism is occurring more often. Much of the increase is believed to be from a cultural and medical shift, with doctors diagnosing autism more frequently, especially in children with milder problems.

There are no blood or biologic tests for autism, so diagnosis is not an exact science. It's identified by making judgments about a child's behavior.

The CDC report released Thursday is considered the most comprehensive on the frequency of autism. Researchers gathered data in 2010 from areas in 11 states -- Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Utah and Wisconsin.

In Colorado, data is provided to the monitoring network from Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties.

The report focused on 8-year-olds because most autism is diagnosed by that age. The researchers checked health and school records to see which children met the criteria for autism, even if they hadn't been formally diagnosed. Then, the researchers calculated how common autism was in each place and overall.

The CDC started using this method in 2007 when it came up with an estimate of 1 in 150 children. Two years later, it went to 1 in 110.

Colorado's Department of Public Health and Environment says that the monitoring project here also indicated a 32 percent increase over two years, when the same geographic area was compared. One in 101 children aged 8 years in the seven-county Denver metropolitan area had an autism spectrum disorder in 2010, compared to one in 133 in 2008.

For decades, autism meant kids with severe language, intellectual and social impairments and unusual, repetitious behaviors. But the definition has gradually expanded and now includes milder, related conditions.

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